Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope marked the beginning of the Star Wars saga when it was released in 1977 and it is therefore unsurprising that the original movie has been represented fairly comprehensively across the seventeen year history of the LEGO Star Wars range. In fact, almost every vehicle seen in the film has appeared in at least one set!

Nevertheless, there are a number of important characters, creatures and locations from the movie which have yet to be rendered in LEGO and I intend to uncover them in this instalment of the 'What's Missing?' series before pitching descriptions of the three sets which I think would best complete the extensive range based on A New Hope.

The film opens with one of the most iconic shots in the history of cinema as the Tantive IV is pursued by the enormous Star Destroyer Devastator before being disabled and boarded by a squad of Stormtroopers. Star Destroyers are easily the most recognisable capital ships from the Star Wars universe and it stands to reason that the vehicle has been recreated in LEGO on several occasions, most recently in 75055 Imperial Star Destroyer in 2014. The sheer size of the vessel lends itself to an Ultimate Collector's Series set and I would be glad to see a new one as it is now almost fifteen years since 10030 Imperial Star Destroyer was released. I think modern elements and design techniques introduced since 2002 would allow an even more impressive model to be created today.

The Tantive IV is far less prolific in LEGO and I think an updated model would prove popular. The last offering, 10198 Tantive IV, was excellent but a larger set with a more detailed interior would be very welcome. That would also be an ideal way to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of Star Wars in 2017, just as the previous set commerorated ten years since the beginning of LEGO Star Wars when it was released in 2009. While a true minifigure scale version of the Rebel Blockade Runner would be an unrealistic expectation, there is the potential to create a UCS set with some interior which might come close to minifigure scale and I would be delighted to see such a model released.

Just as the vessel falls under attack Princess Leia is able to transfer an important data tape to R2-D2 and record her instructions by way of a hologram. The droid flees on board an escape pod with his counterpart, C-3PO, reluctantly in tow and the pair crash land on the desert world of Tatooine. They soon disagree on their next course of action, briefly splitting up in search of a settlement before being captured by Jawas and reunited on board a hulking Sandcrawler. The scene in which R2-D2 and C-3PO leave the escape pod has been recreated three times which is excessive in my opinion. I think 75136 Droid Escape Pod released this year is actually a weaker set than 9490 which came out in 2012, due in no small part to the excellent minifigure selection in the older set.

75059 Sandcrawler is the definitive model of the Sandcrawler in my opinion. The longevity of the Star Wars theme suggests that updated versions of almost every minifigure and set will be released at some point in the future but I think it will be difficult to improve upon the 2014 incarnation unless an even larger set were to be manufactured.

The Lars' homestead, on the other hand, has never been seen in a retail set and this is the first major omission from the range based on A New Hope. C-3PO and R2-D2 are sold to Owen Lars and they fall into the possession of Luke Skywalker, Lars' nephew, who is instructed to clean them in readiness for work on their moisture farm the next day. This location is one of the most famous from the Original Trilogy and it is therefore quite surprising that no attempt has been made to include the moisture farm in a LEGO set, although the lack of onscreen action there might be a reason for this.

Nevertheless, I think there is great potential to create an impressive set based on the Lars homestead and an excellent selection of minifigures could be included too. Beru Lars has long been the most glaring omission from the huge roster of Star Wars minifigures in my view and this would also provide an opportunity to produce a Bantha, a creature which fans have been eager to see in LEGO since the earliest days of the Star Wars theme.

As C-3PO and R2-D2 get to know their new master it becomes clear that Luke has little interest in farming and favours flying in his T-16 Skyhopper. The airspeeder only appears very briefly in the film but has been seen in two LEGO sets where an unidentified pilot, presumably Luke, practices flying in readiness to join the Imperial academy.

While cleaning R2-D2, Luke discovers part of a message in which Princess Leia refers to Obi-Wan Kenobi. He is unfamiliar with anyone named Obi-Wan but he does know Ben Kenobi, a hermit who lives beyond the Dune Sea. This famous scene is disappointingly absent from the LEGO Star Wars range but that could be rectified as it would fit perfectly into a set based on the Lars homestead.

Luke dismisses the message and has dinner with his aunt and uncle before returning later to find that R2-D2 has left in search of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Tatooine is unsafe for travel at night and Luke is therefore forced to wait until morning before he leaves with C-3PO in search of the missing droid. His X-34 Landspeeder allows them to quickly catch up with Artoo but they encounter a group of Tusken Raiders before they can return home and Luke is injured in a scuffle.

Luke's Landspeeder has been released four times at minifigure scale and the most recent version, included in 75052 Mos Eisley Cantina, is my favourite. There are plenty of sandy colours in LEGO's current palette but none are a perfect match for the X-34 Landspeeder. However, the nougat shade used in 75052 is very close and for that reason I am quite satisfied with the current design.

Thankfully, Ben Kenobi frightens the Sand People away and reveals that he was known as Obi-Wan during the Clone War where he fought alongside Luke's father, who was a Jedi Knight. R2-D2 then plays the entire message in which Leia asks Obi-Wan to ensure that Artoo is safely delivered to Alderaan as he is carrying information vital to the survival of the Rebel Alliance. Luke is intrigued and agrees to take Obi-Wan to a nearby town from where he can begin his journey to Alderaan but realises that he must remain on Tatooine with his aunt and uncle.

Meanwhile, the Imperial agent Darth Vader has captured Princess Leia and demands that she reveal the location of the Death Star plans which he is seeking. Leia refuses and is transferred to a cell on board the Death Star, an enormous battle station with the power to destroy an entire planet which is commanded by Grand Moff Tarkin. Vader is informed that an escape pod was jettisoned shortly before the Tantive IV was captured and he realises that the plans are now on Tatooine, dispatching a squad of Sandtroopers to retrieve them.

As Luke travels across the Dune Sea with Obi-Wan and the droids they encounter a Sandcrawler which has been destroyed. Luke wonders whether Tusken Raiders are responsible but Obi-Wan assures him that only Imperial Stormtroopers are capable of such precise shooting. They realise that the Empire is hunting for R2-D2 and that their search may have led them to the Lars moisture farm. Luke rushes home to find that his aunt and uncle have been murdered by the Empire. While standing before the burnt remains of the farm he resolves to leave Tatooine and fight with the Rebellion.

The nearby city of Mos Eisley offers a means to leave the planet and Obi-Wan knows that he will find transportation in the Mos Eisley Cantina where pilots gather from across the galaxy. There he and Luke meet Han Solo, a freighter pilot who flies the Millennium Falcon with a Wookiee named Chewbacca. Luke is forced to sell his landspeeder but a price is agreed and they leave Tatooine with the droids after a brief encounter with some Imperial forces in a hangar bay.

The Mos Eisley Cantina might be the most famous location in any Star Wars film but it has only been rendered in LEGO twice. A much larger model of the cantina certainly seems like an obvious possibility for a set but I would query how popular such a model might prove. There could be plenty of detail inside but the exterior is rather drab and it may therefore be quite difficult to display a full size model of the Mos Eisley Cantina on a shelf. Moreover, the play value might be relatively low as there is little opportunity to include functions, although the minifigure selection could make up for that. I would certainly buy an Ultimate Collector's Series version of the cantina but I cannot imagine that such a set would interest everyone in the same way that a set like 10236 Ewok Village does.

Believing the plans for the Death Star to be almost secured, Darth Vader turns his attention to the location of the rebel base and tortures Princess Leia for the information. Her resistance forces the Empire to take drastic measures and Grand Moff Tarkin threatens to destroy her home planet of Alderaan should she not give up the location of her allies. Leia falsely confesses that the Rebellion is based on Dantooine but to no avail as Tarkin orders the destruction of the planet anyway.

The Millennium Falcon emerges from hyperspace soon after and encounters an asteroid storm where Alderaan once was. They are quickly ensnared in a tractor beam from the Death Star and the group are forced into hiding as Stormtroopers board the freighter. The Millennium Falcon is arguably the most famous spacecraft in all of fiction and has been recreated in LEGO at more scales than any other vehicle, with sizes ranging from a tiny Advent Calendar model to the enormous 10179 Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon. It is hard to imagine many more improvements being made after so many sets but I still think a minifigure scale model with an interior is possible, perhaps based on the new films rather than the Original Trilogy.

Luke and Han disguise themselves as Stormtroopers, allowing them to travel almost undetected to a control room which overlooks the docked Millennium Falcon. There R2-D2 discovers that Princess Leia is on board and that she is scheduled to be executed, forcing the group to split up. While Han, Luke and Chewbacca head for the detention area and Princess Leia, Obi-Wan searches for a reactor terminal from which he can deactivate the tractor beam. The droids remain in the control room and are discovered but slip away as C-3PO convinces a group of Stormtroopers that he and Artoo are in the service of the Empire.

Obi-Wan deactivates the tractor beam as Luke, Han and Chewbacca blast into cell block AA-23. After a short firefight they rescue the princess from her cell but another group of Stormtroopers arrives and their escape route is blocked. Leia leaps into a garbage chute and the others follow, only to find themselves in a trash compactor. All of this action and more is replicated in 10188 Death Star but it waits to be seen whether the same scenes will appear in 75159 The Death Star.

The group reconvenes in the hangar bay but Obi-Wan is waylaid by Darth Vader and they engage in a lightsaber duel. Seeing Luke running back to the ship and knowing that his friends are safe, Obi-Wan stops fighting and is cut down by Darth Vader before vanishing, leaving Vader with a hollow victory as Leia escapes with the crew of the Millennium Falcon. The freighter prepares to enter hyperspace but is attacked by a squadron of TIE Fighters. We last saw a standard TIE Fighter in 2012's 9492 TIE Fighter but I would love to see an updated version with some new pieces and building techniques used.

All four TIE Fighters are destroyed and the Falcon retreats to the rebel base on Leia's instruction. Tarkin and Vader watch from the bridge of the Death Star as they escape and it is revealed that the Imperials have placed a homing device on board the ship, hoping to follow the Millennium Falcon to the rebel base. The Falcon arrives with the Death Star in pursuit and Rebel technicians immediately set about finding a weakness in the battle station. A briefing takes place in which General Dodanna advises the gathered rebel pilots that their target is a thermal exhaust port and that a precise hit from a proton torpedo will destroy the station.

The pilots take off in a fleet of Y-wings and X-wings, with Luke and R2-D2 flying as Red Five. Han, on the other hand, departs with his reward for the princess' rescue, leaving C-3PO and Leia to watch the battle nervously from the rebel control room. The rebel fighters begin their attack and position themselves in readiness to fly down the Death Star's equatorial trench, a path which will take them within range of the thermal exhaust port. Some are killed but the small size of each fighter makes it relatively easy to evade fire from turbolasers and a squadron of TIE Fighters are launched as a result.

The last model of an X-wing was released alongside a Y-wing in 2012. Many new pieces have been released since then and I would be quite happy to see an updated model of either craft, although the Y-wing is certainly more pressing as two T-70 X-wings have been released in conjunction with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. 9495 Gold Leader's Y-wing Starfighter is an excellent set but I think there are still some improvements to be made for a truly definitive model of this famous fighter.

Darth Vader pilots his own TIE Advanced x1 into battle and this was last seen in 8017 Darth Vader's TIE Fighter, although the model included in 75150 Vader's TIE Advanced vs. A-wing Fighter based on Star Wars Rebels is hardly any different to that which appears in A New Hope. Vader and his wingmen destroy several rebel fighters but fall foul of Han Solo as he returns in the Millennium Falcon, sending Vader's TIE Advanced spinning off into space as Luke Skywalker fires a torpedo which successfully destroys the Death Star!

The surviving pilots return to Yavin IV and celebrate their victory, holding a medal ceremony at which Luke, Han and Chewbacca are commended for their bravery. We know that a sketch model of the rebel base on Yavin IV was created as it was shown in LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary but the base has never been represented in an official set which is a great shame. The sketch model shown below is a good start as I like the idea of having an exterior side which could be displayed as well as some of the interior which is visible when the model is rotated.

I think a large set containing the briefing room, control room and a hangar bay would prove popular, particularly since a significant portion of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will be set there. Perhaps the set could even span both movies just as 10188 Death Star included scenes from both A New Hope and Return of the Jedi.

This has proven to be the most challenging 'What's Missing?' article yet as I think LEGO has done a remarkably good job in covering much of the film. Nevertheless, as usual I am going to conclude by pitching set descriptions for three sets which I think would adequately complete the Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope range. I have used some artistic license where necessary to create what I believe to be plausible sets and tried to spread them across various price points.

The Rogue One range is now only two months away and I still have three more 'What's Missing?' articles to publish before then. The next one, focusing on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, will therefore be published in a fortnight on the 14th of August and the two subsequent articles will also be published on a fortnightly basis, concluding with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

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58 comments on this article

Great article as usual! I enjoy reading these. I absolutely agree that they should make Lars Homestead. I'm kind of surprised that in 17 years, it's still not been made. Overall, I feel like everything that could be made into a set for this movie has been made already, however. Outside of just a couple. I am looking forward to the Empire Strikes Back article as that is my favorite movie and I feel there's a lot of sets that need updated.

Another fantastic article! I'm greatly enjoying this series, and look forward to the final(?) two installments. Thanks CapnRex!

The Lars Homestead and Yavin IV base set pitches are excellent, and I'd definitely consider purchasing either of them were they to be made. As for the Y-wing, I agree that it's about time for them to make a new version, though I am pretty happy with the previous edition which I already have in my collection, so I don't believe I would purchase that one if it were made.

Also, can't wait to see exactly what nature the new Death Star set takes on!

I would be pleasantly surprised, if not amazed, to see the Lars Homestead made if only because so much of the structure is underground and the major action that occurs there is not entirely lego friendly. I still live in hope of a Bantha however.

Great article!But still, I think this is one of those star wars films that lego did very a comprehensive job of covering. I know it's popular enough to warrent future sets, but I think other films need to have gaps filled in much more than this one.That said, I also look forward for the empire strikes back!

Even if the Lars' home was released, I predict it to be a big flop. There was never that many scenes of it in the movie, and when it was there it was rather boring. Kids prefer action over collectibles. It would be better to include it with a more playable object, such as a landspeeder or maybe even an improved sandcrawler. Same thing with Yavin, which would need to include an X-Wing and maybe just maintenance and the celebration aisle. However, it would be nice to get a few new releases of older sets, however we must make sure we don't over-reboot like a Batman series and have a new set every year.

Great as always! I would absolutely want to see a Yavin 4 set in my collection, and like you said, Lego could easily include scenes from Rogue One as well if they were to make one. The description you wrote would fit perfectly. I'm not sure the Lars homestead would make an £80 set though, but the continued absence of the features you mentioned would make it welcome for at least a £40 set. Perhaps the Bantha would justify £60? Anyway, I can't wait for What's Missing Episode V, which I feel may mention Cloud City one or two times...

This makes me want to watch the whole original trilogy again, I forgot how good those films were.

This is the first installment that I have read, mostly because I only care about the original trilogy, and the newer films. Episodes I - III are dead to me.

I love the write up, and the set descriptions are great. I notice, however, that they aren't written for North American catalogues, because of the utter failure to put an exclamation point at the end of every single sentence (I hate that) - including descriptions of dimensions in inches!

I look forward to your upcoming installments.

I think the Lars' Homestead is a must, as is Yavin IV. I have no Y-wings, so I have no real strong opinion on them... yet.

I am a sucker for location playsets, like Yavin and the Lars Homestead would be. One of my favorite sets was Cloud City and the Death Star has been on my wanted list for a long time. I'm personally pretty tired of vehicles.

A Yavin base Would look likely from 'Rogue One but would need to be huge to fit Minifig scale ships in... maybe it could come with Microfighters :)Though it might make for a nice MOC, I can't honestly see anyone wanting to buy a set of the homestead.

Another great article. I'm much more interested in the Episode IV-VI articles than the prequel write-ups (which were still well written), so I can't wait for the Episode V installment.

For Empire I'd like to see an updated Dagobah set, definitely a UCS Cloud City on par with the Death Star, and some kind of Hoth battle set for around $250. Lego could definitely do an amazing set for that last suggestion, right? RIGHT?!!

I would love to see an R2-D2 'projecting' a trans-light blue Microfig of Princess Leia. Also, alternative black skeleton versions of Owen and Beru Lars on The Lars Homestead would be accurate to the film if not palatable to the Lego marketing team.

HOW TO ADD ACTION TO THE LARS HOMESTEADAdd the stormtroopers that murder Luke's parents. Add an exploding wall. And to all the people who think this set won't sell.People bought the cantina.How many play features did that have? It was a great set.

I've always thought a more modular approach would be a great way to go with the Cantina. Skip the battle packs for a year, and give us 4-8 ~$15 dollars sets with a couple different asic minifigure cantina customers, 1 with a new/rare head sculpt, and an alcove or section of the bar. Maybe one or two bigger sets for the larger components. Great for army building, great for collectors, and terrible for my wallet.

These are just getting better and better, easily my favourite articles on Brickset at the moment (or any LEGO site for that matter). I'd buy the three sets suggested and would actually go for the Cantina as well, although I know what you mean regarding its outward appearance as a display model.

Looking forward to Episode V as there are lots of possible sets there!

As with the previous What's Missing entries, this has great ideas. I really like the Lars Homestead suggestion with the Bantha. A little holographic Leia and the blue milk are perfect details to add to the set. A Biggs Darklighter minifig is an unnecessary extra--keep that to the just as needed Yavin IV set.

A possible sister set to the Lars' homestead could be Kenobi's hut with Ben, Luke, the droids, and the landspeeder. You could even swap out the landspeeder and add the bantha and a Tusken Raider or two and put the landspeeder with the Homestead.

It's fascinating that we haven't had a Honestead set yet, considering it's the first place we ever see Luke.

Great observations, love the ideas! It's surprising that there hasn't been an Yavin 4 base set (or Lars homestead) since there's been at least 15 sets only from Hoth released over the past 17 years. I do really think the first mentioned sets would prove to be very popular, too.

I'm not sure the comparison between the Cantina and the Lars Homestead stands up as a reason to make a set of it. Narratively, the Cantina is where the adventure really begins, where most of the main protagonists meet for the first time while the Lars house is a place where nothing happens - that's the whole point - it's boring and Luke wants to leave .

Another great article from CapnRex101. Sadly for me Star Wars died the day Disney released that shockingly appalling film that destroyed the thirty years the expanded universe had taken to grow into something special.

I still find it strange that Lego won't do Moe's Tavern from The Simpsons, as it's a drinking establishment, yet they have done the Mos Eisley Cantina twice?

I still collect the odd Star Wars Lego set, but only from Episodes I to VI, and have enough to cover this film - but not the UCS Falcon. Still the original Death Star II sat on my tumble dryer for months when I rebuilt it ten years ago. For the first ten years or so I tried to buy almost all of the Star Wars sets, but when they started re-releasing things I did get fed up, and now with the licences I find the sets are far too overpriced.

Looking forward to the next two offerings in this line, and when CapnRex101 has completed this please could Disney get him writing for the films (as he clearly knows his stuff) and explain that Episode VII was all a strange dream...

Thank you for your comments everyone. I am looking forward to writing the article for Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back as there is plenty to be explored there.

A few people have expressed some scepticism about a Lars Homestead set due to the relative absence of location-based sets in the Star Wars range and the lack of action which takes place at the farm. Obviously some location-based sets have not been as popular as vehicles but it is not true to suggest that a set will sell poorly simply because it does not feature a vehicle. The quality of the set and appeal of the minifigures will justify purchases for many, hence the enormous popularity of many Super Heroes sets which primarily feature a stationary structure.

@legoguysw - I think two Sandtroopers are better than two Jawas and the escape pods are roughly equal in my opinion; neither is particularly accurate. Furthermore, a vastly improved C-3PO was introduced in 9490 Droid Escape and the more recent set does not offer that level of innovation.

We could definitely use a Y-Wing Starfighter update, but given there's been several previous versions, it feels like much more of an 'Honorable Mention' compared to the never-before-released Yavin Base and Lars Homestead. I'm surprised Kenobi's hut wasn't mentioned - that could be an interesting set, imo

Starting to grasp at straws with new ideas for Episode IV, but I think a dedicated trash compactor set would have a lot of play value. Include the chute, moving walls and the alien that grabs Luke, as well as a side scene with R2 and C3PO shutting down the compactor via the Deathstar's interface.

Another excellent article @CapnRex101! I've enjoyed reading them all so far and look forward to your next ones, even though I'm staying away from collecting LEGO Star Wars sets! ;-)Just one thing: I believe the character is General Dodonna, not Dodanna... :-)

I love the Lars Homestead (finally an Aunt Beru minifigure!) and Yavin IV set ideas, however I'd probably skip out on another Y-Wing, as I've already got the 2007 and 2012 versions. I'd really love some Bantha's and please Lego can you give us a few more Cantina patrons? Must have minifigures that are anxiously absent from my collection including Wuhur (the bartender), Garindan (I know he wasn't in the cantina but he was around the corner alerting the Empire to the location of our heroes), Nabrun Leids (guy w/4 arms and white space suit w/mask) Ponda Baba and his cohort Doctor Cornelius Evazan (the two that pick a fight w/Luke and Ponda loses his arm to Obi Wan's lightsaber), and Momaw Nadon (Hammerhead). If Lego can produce, as someone earlier suggested, a few smaller sets w/a few cantina patrons in ea., along w/a small section of the cantina, that could be combined together?! Count me and my money in on that idea! Btw thanks Capn for another great What's Missing article!

@LegoSolo77 Check out the Ithorian Jedi Master (sw570). He looks more like Hammerhead than the original Kenner action figure. I picked this minifig up specifically to play the role of Hammerhead for my cantina and he looks awesome.

Maybe a Lars Homestead set could include a V-35 Courier model. (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/V-35_Courier) I'd love to have a Lego version of that oft-overlooked speeder. Or maybe they could just do the speeder. Be a perfect set to include Aunt Beru if they don't want to do a homestead set. (Could also include an Uncle Owen for those of us who can't afford a sandcrawler.)

Thank you for another great What's Missing article Capn! It's certainly hard to think about what is missing from this film in the Lego range, but I'm surprised that you plumped for the Y Wing instead of a Tantive IV. I think a Lars homestead model could do well, if you include a T-16 in it.

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